This is the second in a series of guest blog posts by leading climate scientists, science writers, policy makers and others involved in the ongoing debate about climate policy. We’ll be hearing from these guests regularly leading up to COP15 in December.

By Flora D. Martino

The science center community today plays a prominent role in communicating science to the general public. Science centers, science museums, and aquariums are well recognized by their visitors as ideal places for gaining scientific knowledge. In recent years, this role is not only informative; science centers are also deeply interested in generating dialogue with their visitors for a mutual exchange of information, experiences, and points of view to stimulate debate on climate change issues. For instance, presenting the social, economic, and ethical dimensions of climate change has become as important as describing the science behind the phenomena. Since science center and museum audiences are quite broad, from students to families to senior citizens, science centers have learned to use various different communication tools.

The expanding role of science centers in the field of science communication is exemplified by the recent launch of the Action on Climate Change through Engagement, Networks and Tools (ACCENT) project. Reflecting the decision of European science centers and museums to strengthen local efforts on issues of climate change, ACCENT gathers and coordinates science communication and public engagement practices about climate change issues in 15 partner institutions.

ACCENT proposes to contribute to the global campaign on climate change from the “informative” to the “active” phase by exchanging and disseminating practices, by taking specific actions that encourage the involvement of citizens in active participation and establishing dialogue among scientists, stakeholders, and the public. A large range of activities concerning climate change (hands-on learning, exhibitions, school labs, science demonstrations, games, lectures, and debates) will be organized by each of the partner institutions in order to increase visitors’ knowledge and to engage people in positive actions.

Events and activities implemented by ACCENT’s partners will be endorsed in a common global communication strategy under the message: “I DO. Commit yourself to action for the climate”. This message includes a dissemination plan for ACCENT to reach outside the consortium to any organization that deals with public engagement in science and technology.

ACCENT will organize a formal launch event at the Experimentarium Science Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark during COP15 this December. The overall goal of this event is to present the ACCENT initiative and activities to an audience composed of professionals engaged in communication on climate change. These individuals are the multipliers who will help the ACCENT activities reach a wider audience so that the public will benefit from ideas exchanged at the conference. The event will focus on international climate and energy issues and will include members of the international press and key persons in the area of climate research and policy.

ACCENT partner institutions include: Fondazione IDIS-Città della Scienza, Napoli, Italy; ECSITE-the European Network of Science Centres and Museums; Observa (a social science research organization), Vicenza, Italy; Genoa Aquarium, Italy; Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, Vantaa, Finland; Arctic Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland; Techniquest, Cardiff, Wales, U.K.; Technopolis, the Flemish Science Centre, Mechelen, Belgium; Universeum, Göteborg, Sweden; Teknikens Hus, Luleå, Sweden; Nausicaa, Centre National de la Mer, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France; Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark; Teaduskeskus AHHAA, Tartu, Estonia; MadaTech, Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, Haifa; and Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.

Flora D. Martino, Communications projects, Fondazione IDIS-Citta della Scienza

The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has updated its climate change education toolkit (Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators), which is now available online.

The kit’s educational material targets middle school-aged students and offers fact sheets, case studies, and activities, all tailored to one of 11 “eco-regions.” (If you’re curious, you can check out your center’s eco-region here.)

The case study for each region offers background on the region’s ecology and provides a short climate change impact assessment, followed by spotlight pieces on a local species affected by changing climatic conditions and local groups working on adaption and mitigation. Though each eco-region is geographically broad, this focus on the local level when it comes to indicators and action might be particularly helpful to C3 science centers looking for new groups to target for recruitment.

The activity sections seemed to be geared toward formal educators, but the activities are, according to the site, easily adaptable to variety of settings and might prove useful for those of you whose C3 activities involve the same group of students on a regular basis.

The introductory video that comes with the kit provides a good overview of the science of climate change and discusses a few local indicators, ending with a call to citizen scientists:

This is the first in a series of guest blog posts by leading climate scientists, science writers, policy makers and others involved in the ongoing debate about climate policy. We’ll be hearing from these guests regularly leading up to COP15 in December. (Cross-posted from IGLO)

Political action to address climate change is lagging far behind the scientific knowledge of the threat.

By Mike Shanahan

Climate change topped the agenda at the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists which took place this month in London. As temperatures outside soared in a mini-heat wave, delegates inside were brought up to date with the latest science and politics of climate change before plunging into intense discussion about how the media is telling the biggest story of our times.

Chris Rapley, director of the Science Museum and former director of the British Antarctic Survey, and John Mitchell, head of climate science at the UK Met Office kicked off proceedings at a pre-conference workshop aimed at supporting journalists from some of the countries most at risk from climate change in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The two climate scientists spoke about the need for scientists and journalists to come together to explain to the wider public just how serious the threat was, but stressed the difficulties of explaining risk and uncertainty when media outlets want hard news headlines.

The UNESCO funded workshop then heard from three speakers who were focusing on solutions. Liz Kalaugher, editor of environmentalresearchweb.org covered renewable energy and Gustavo Faleiros, a journalist with the Brazilian website O Eco, spoke about efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing deforestation.

Saleemul Huq from the International Institute for Environment and Development spoke about how societies can and must adapt to changes that are already inevitable. He pointed out that although the poorest nations were most vulnerable they had at least almost all carried out a detailed national plan to identify urgent adaptation needs, while the rich countries had yet to face up to the need to do so.

The workshop got everyone geared up for the conference itself. At the opening plenary Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, didn’t mince their words in warning that political action to address climate change was lagging far behind the scientific knowledge of the threat.

Rather than dwell on the negatives though, they both spoke about the benefits that society will gain from tackling climate change. Pachauri pointed out this would mean less air pollution and better health, as well as improved energy and food security. Together these efforts would make our world “a better place to live”.

King predicted fast rail networks in place of short-haul flights and improved building designs with features such as direct solar lighting instead of wasteful electrical lights. He warned though that a major challenge lies in changing attitudes, and that people must realise that “wellbeing is not served by massive consumerism”.

Two sessions later in the conference looked at how the media tells the climate change story. The first compared media coverage in settings as diverse as China, Norway and Uganda. In each case, what was most lacking was any detailed investigative journalism or coverage of adaptation to climate change.

The second looked at the “messy marriage of science, policy and politics“. Among other things, speakers focused on how journalists could keep telling the story of future climate change impacts during an economic crisis that is creating more immediate concerns among politicians and the public.

If there was a single message that emerged from the conference it was that journalists the world over are gearing up to report on climate change but need considerable support from their editors, first to see that climate change is a story worth telling, and second to keep on telling it in new and engaging ways. As Andy Revkin of the New York Times warned: “Editor fatigue becomes reader fatigue.”

Mike Shanahan is the press officer at the International Institute for Environment and Development. He was on the organising committee for the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists and co-produced the workshop and one of the sessions on climate change. He is a former science journalist and a founder member of the Climate Change Media Partnership, which trains journalists from developing nations to report on the UN climate change negotiations.

This is the first in a series of guest blog posts by leading climate scientists, science writers, policy makers and others involved in the ongoing debate about climate policy. We’ll be hearing from these guests regularly leading up to COP15 in December.

Political action to address climate change is lagging far behind the scientific knowledge of the threat.

By Mike Shanahan

Climate change topped the agenda at the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists which took place this month in London. As temperatures outside soared in a mini-heat wave, delegates inside were brought up to date with the latest science and politics of climate change before plunging into intense discussion about how the media is telling the biggest story of our times.

Chris Rapley, director of the Science Museum and former director of the British Antarctic Survey, and John Mitchell, head of climate science at the UK Met Office kicked off proceedings at a pre-conference workshop aimed at supporting journalists from some of the countries most at risk from climate change in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The two climate scientists spoke about the need for scientists and journalists to come together to explain to the wider public just how serious the threat was, but stressed the difficulties of explaining risk and uncertainty when media outlets want hard news headlines.

The UNESCO funded workshop then heard from three speakers who were focusing on solutions. Liz Kalaugher, editor of environmentalresearchweb.org covered renewable energy and Gustavo Faleiros, a journalist with the Brazilian website O Eco, spoke about efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing deforestation.

Saleemul Huq from the International Institute for Environment and Development spoke about how societies can and must adapt to changes that are already inevitable. He pointed out that although the poorest nations were most vulnerable they had at least almost all carried out a detailed national plan to identify urgent adaptation needs, while the rich countries had yet to face up to the need to do so.

The workshop got everyone geared up for the conference itself. At the opening plenary Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, didn’t mince their words in warning that political action to address climate change was lagging far behind the scientific knowledge of the threat.

Rather than dwell on the negatives though, they both spoke about the benefits that society will gain from tackling climate change. Pachauri pointed out this would mean less air pollution and better health, as well as improved energy and food security. Together these efforts would make our world “a better place to live”.

King predicted fast rail networks in place of short-haul flights and improved building designs with features such as direct solar lighting instead of wasteful electrical lights. He warned though that a major challenge lies in changing attitudes, and that people must realise that “wellbeing is not served by massive consumerism”.

Two sessions later in the conference looked at how the media tells the climate change story. The first compared media coverage in settings as diverse as China, Norway and Uganda. In each case, what was most lacking was any detailed investigative journalism or coverage of adaptation to climate change.

The second looked at the “messy marriage of science, policy and politics“. Among other things, speakers focused on how journalists could keep telling the story of future climate change impacts during an economic crisis that is creating more immediate concerns among politicians and the public.

If there was a single message that emerged from the conference it was that journalists the world over are gearing up to report on climate change but need considerable support from their editors, first to see that climate change is a story worth telling, and second to keep on telling it in new and engaging ways. As Andy Revkin of the New York Times warned: “Editor fatigue becomes reader fatigue.”

Mike Shanahan is the press officer at the International Institute for Environment and Development. He was on the organising committee for the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists and co-produced the workshop and one of the sessions on climate change. He is a former science journalist and a founder member of the Climate Change Media Partnership, which trains journalists from developing nations to report on the UN climate change negotiations.

Institute for the Future, a non-profit research organization based in Palo Alto, recently launched The Digital Open: An Innovation Expo for Global Youth in partnership with Sun Microsystems and Boing Boing:

Project organizers are soliciting free and open technology projects designed by kids ages 17 and under in eight categories, ranging from the environment, media, and community, to the more traditional open source domains of software and hardware. The prizes for the Open include a laptop and an MP3 player, but the biggest reward for each category winner is that they (and their project) will be featured on Boing Boing Video. The Open’s panel of 23 judges includes Dale Dougherty (Publisher, MAKE), David-Michel Davies (Executive Director, Webby Awards), Graham Hill (Founder, Treehugger), Xeni Jardin (Boing Boing/NPR/Wired), and Lawrence Lessig (Stanford Law School/Creative Commons).

Although the project has generated online buzz (see their mentions on Planet Green and Boing Boing), organizers have found reaching their target age group to be a challenge. Because we see this effort to educate youth about open source, how it applies to their lives, and how they can contribute as a natural extension of our efforts to address critical societal issues, locally and globally, ASTC (through its IGLO and C3 networks) is working with Digital Open organizers to expand the scope of the project to include science center audiences.

Over the coming weeks, organizers of the Open hope to connect with as many science and technology summer programs as possible. If your center is running summer programs and would be interested in hearing more about how you can participate in Digital Open this year, you can contact Mathias Crawford, Research Manager at Institute for the Future, at mcrawford@iftf.org or by phone at 1-347-463-7800. Although we realize that, for many of you, this year’s project deadline (August 15) comes too soon for major programmatic involvement or partnerships, we hope that this will lay the groundwork for more extensive cooperation during Digital Open 2010.

Institute for the Future, a non-profit research organization based in Palo Alto, recently launched The Digital Open: An Innovation Expo for Global Youth in partnership with Sun Microsystems and Boing Boing:

Project organizers are soliciting free and open technology projects designed by kids ages 17 and under in eight categories, ranging from the environment, media, and community, to the more traditional open source domains of software and hardware. The prizes for the Open include a laptop and an MP3 player, but the biggest reward for each category winner is that they (and their project) will be featured on Boing Boing Video. The Open’s panel of 23 judges includes Dale Dougherty (Publisher, MAKE), David-Michel Davies (Executive Director, Webby Awards), Graham Hill (Founder, Treehugger), Xeni Jardin (Boing Boing/NPR/Wired), and Lawrence Lessig (Stanford Law School/Creative Commons).

Although the project has generated online buzz (see their mentions on Planet Green and Boing Boing), organizers have found reaching their target age group to be a challenge. Because we see this effort to educate youth about open source, how it applies to their lives, and how they can contribute as a natural extension of our efforts to address critical societal issues, locally and globally, ASTC (through its IGLO and C3 networks) is working with Digital Open organizers to expand the scope of the project to include science center audiences.

Over the coming weeks, organizers of the Open hope to connect with as many science and technology summer programs as possible. If your center is running summer programs and would be interested in hearing more about how you can participate in Digital Open this year, you can contact Mathias Crawford, Research Manager at Institute for the Future, at mcrawford@iftf.org or by phone at 1-347-463-7800. Although we realize that, for many of you, this year’s project deadline (August 15) comes too soon for major programmatic involvement or partnerships, we hope that this will lay the groundwork for more extensive cooperation during Digital Open 2010.

POLES APART is a unique multimedia celebration of the broad spectrum of scientific and human endeavors associated with International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08. Through compelling story, stunning photography and an original score, this 20-25min digital photo exhibition will profile the impressive science work completed through the IPY and the contributions of this work to global awareness and action on climate change. The artistic and engaging presentation includes a distinguishing emphasis on the bridge between science and society, on the essential contribution of science to citizen participation in global affairs, and on the array of citizen responses to what is the most globally significant issue of our generation.

The project was launched in Fall 2008, with contributions from 40+ organizations, and is now ready for full production. The aim is to produce the exhibition in Fall 2009, with a world premiere at COP15 climate negotiations in Copenhagen. The exhibition will then feature at science, cultural and educational institutions worldwide in 2010-12.

The POLES APART project team are inviting venue partners to join the project. Venue partners will contribute to the production budget and gain guaranteed access to this flexible, widely appealing, globally unique and low cost exhibition on polar science and citizenship. Importantly, collective contributions of venue partners will ensure that POLES APART is available for widespread dissemination in 2010, when climate change is high on the public agenda.

Please contact David Noble at noble@2degreesC.com or (519) 341-1720 for more information or to get involved. Visit www.2degreesc.com/page.php?id=91 to see a short POLES APART promotional video.

Photo courtesy International Polar Foundation

Climate Literacy: Essential Principles for Teachers is an online course that will serve educators who are seeking knowledge about scientific understandings of the Earth’s climate, historical climate change and recent climate change. Educators will explore pedagogical approaches to incorporating climate science and related topics into their classrooms and programs. The course will also explore the recently published guide, Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science by the US Climate Change Science Program, a well-vetted, authoritative overview of the basics of climate science.

Participants will engage in online discussions of readings, video lectures and other media as well as complete a final project applying their learning to their educational work. In the future, two additional one-credit courses will be offered which allow participants to delve more deeply into climate science and instructional opportunities.

The course is open to all educators (there is an 80% scholarship available to Colorado middle and high school teachers). If you are not an educator but still interested in participating in the course without credit as a pilot test participant, email Mark McCaffrey (mark.mccaffrey@colorado.edu) and you may be able to participate, since this course is a pilot project and the project designers are interested in soliciting as much feedback as possible. For more information, go to http://conted.colorado.edu/programs/sustainable-practices/additional-opportunities/climate-literacy-essential-principles-for-teachers/.

Continuing our discussion on the Community Conversations on Climate Change workshop held last month in Phoenix, we’re adding a presentation on Arizona climate and water to the mix.

Presentations ran the gamut from computer-animated visualizations designed to draw connections between the global and to local to data-rich presentations that emphasized the effects global climate change could have on Arizona’s weather.

In one of the latter, Arizona State Climatologist Nancy Selover provided in-depth analysis of Arizona precipitation patterns and how they might be altered by changing global patterns.

A few weeks ago, we had a post up about a new report from the Yale Project on Climate Change (our Co-PI Tony Leiserowitz is the director) and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication called Global Warming’s Six Americas.

C3 partners weren’t the only ones to take notice of the study. Earlier this week, in a column for the San Jose Mercury News, Representative Michael Honda (D-CA) quotes good news and bad news from the study.

The good news?

“A recently published study by Yale and George Mason universities… found that a growing majority of Americans — 67 percent — want the United States to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of other countries’ reticence toward reduction.”

But…

“… an underwhelming number of citizens have written, e-mailed or phoned government officials in the last 12 months to urge them to take action on global warming. Since constituent opinion matters to most members of Congress, the fact that most Americans are quiet on climate change does not bode well for the planet. Given that our window of opportunity to take action on climate change is quickly closing, how do we increase the sense of urgency?”

Congressman Honda’s answer: education, including the type of NSF-funded work that C3 partners are doing. Check out the column in its entirety here.